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The present work comprises a detailed study of specific terms of discourse in the pre-twelfth century sources of esoteric "Tantric" Shaivism, both scriptural and exegetical, some of which are still unpublished and others of which are published only in the original Sanskrit. As a dissertation in South Asian Studies using the philological method, the primary purpose of the study is to ascertain the range of meanings of certain technical terms of great importance to the theology and practice of the Śaiva religion, namely āveśa, samāveśa, and śaktipāta. The work focuses on both the independent meaning and the intersection of these key terms, incorporating also the terms dīksā and vedha in the latter endeavor. The intersection of these terms constitutes a complex set of relationships, a nexus of ideas that lie at the very heart of the Śaiva tradition and which, due to the latter's widespread influence, came to be important in Tantric Buddhism and later forms of Hinduism as well. This thesis contends that samāveśa —meaning the fusion or commingling of one's self with the energy of one's deity and/or the consciousness of one's guru—is the key term that distinguishes Tantric Shaivism from mainstream (esp. Vaidika) Indian religion. This constitutes a reinterpretation and overcoding of the earlier meaning of āveśa, i.e. self-induced controlled possession by a deity.
Samāveśa is important to all forms of Shaivism, whether dualistic and ritualized (the Siddhanta) or nondual subitist charismatic forms (the Kaula). This thesis further contends that a philological study of samāveśa and related terms like śaktipāta demonstrates that religious experience (or evidence thereof) was considered central and indispensable to initiatory Shaivism throughout the medieval period. Śaktipāta was requisite to receive the basic level of initiation, and in the Kaula branch of the tradition, samāveśa denoted forms of religious experience that were necessary for aspirants to demonstrate in order to receive higher-level initiations. The former term is still commonly used in many Hindu communities today to designate a "spiritual awakening" or initiatory experience that is transmitted by a qualified guru.
Part One of this work is a comprehensive overview of the nature and structure of the Shaiva religion, providing important context to what follows. Part Two studies the key terms of (sam)āveśa, śaktipāta, etc. in a) early Sanskrit literature generally, b) Śaiva scriptures, and c) the abundant exegetical literature based on those scriptures.
To Enter, to be entered, to merge: The Role of Religious Experience in the Traditions of Tantric Shaivism
Wed, 01 Jan 2014 00:00:00 GMThttp://dlibrary.worldbuddhistuniversity.com/handle/6622580369/6812014-01-01T00:00:00ZWallis, Christopher DarenThe effects of meditation on the mental and physical health of healthcare workershttp://dlibrary.worldbuddhistuniversity.com/handle/6622580369/680
This study examined the effects of meditation on mental and physical health among healthcare workers who practiced some form of meditation. A qualitative approach was used to conduct face-to-face interviews with healthcare workers who regularly engaged in some form of meditation or spiritual practice. The study examined what led healthcare workers to choose meditation as a technique to reduce and cope with stress and depression, and how agencies integrated Eastern approaches to work place stress-reduction.
Results indicated that although healthcare workers used many forms of meditation or spiritual practice, the most commonly used style of meditation, both personally and professionally was mindfulness meditation. One theme that emerged was that all the participants reported improvement in their well-being as a result of their meditation and or spiritual practice.
The effects of meditation on the mental and physical health of healthcare workers
Fri, 01 May 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://dlibrary.worldbuddhistuniversity.com/handle/6622580369/6802009-05-01T00:00:00Zde Vicq, Renee, M.S.W.Issues in śamatha and vipaśyanā: A comparative study of Buddhist meditationhttp://dlibrary.worldbuddhistuniversity.com/handle/6622580369/679
The union of śamatha (tranquility meditation) and vipaśyana (insight meditation) is the unique Buddhist path to deliverance. This dissertation explores various schemes of śamatha developed in distinct meditation systems, so as to analyze the different degrees of sam adhi which affect the power of insight in eradication of defilements. The nature of dhyana/jhana is explained quite different in the canonical and commentarial materials of Buddhist schools. How a meditator practices mindfulness of breathing is based on how a meditator interprets what the dhyana/jh ana is. This dissertation provides various possible explanations for the diverse dispositions of meditators in meditation practice. In insight meditation, when consciousness acts with skillful mental qualities, one is able to penetrate the true nature of all physical and mental phenomena; in the cycle of rebirth, consciousness links the present existence and the next. The different roles of consciousness in rebirth, and deliverance are investigated. This dissertation is mainly based on the Chinese Canon to examine key issues in meditation practice, revolving around the significance of tranquility meditation and insight meditation.
Issues in śamatha and vipaśyanā: A comparative study of Buddhist meditation
Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://dlibrary.worldbuddhistuniversity.com/handle/6622580369/6792010-01-01T00:00:00ZHung, Ya-Chun (Bhikkhuni Syinchen)Dômoto Inshô (1891-1975) and Buddhist temple art in 20 century Japanhttp://dlibrary.worldbuddhistuniversity.com/handle/6622580369/678
By focusing on the works of a single painter, Dômoto Inshô (1891-1975), this study provides one of the first attempts to delineate the shift of patronage, production and reception of twentieth-century Buddhist temple art in Japan against the rapidly changing contemporary political, intellectual and cultural climate right before, during and after World War Two. Japan's modern practice of decorating historical temples with paintings and decorative art has been a vital creative arena for artists in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. However, unlike exhibition works, modern art installed in ancient and medieval temple sites has resisted historicization in the context of the period of its creation.
The study concentrates on Dômoto's career as a temple artist extraordinaire: the recipient of more temple commissions from a greater number of the most historically prestigious patrons than any other Japanese artist in the genre. Dômoto's temple art is distinguished from that of his peers primarily by the versatility of his styles, which range from neo-classical art derived from East Asian pictorial heritages to abstract art that he experimented with through his direct contact with the Paris-centered avant-garde circle of Informel.
Dômoto's temple art reflected the non-religious functions of Japanese temples in modern society, which they played in addition to their conventional roles as centers of worship. Dômoto believed in the potential of temple art to serve the public interest in Japan and elsewhere. This study unfolds in a two-part chronology spanning from 1925 to 1971. In the first phase, he and his major patron, the Shingon sect, collaborated on his Tôji project (1934) to help the state to propagate imperial ideology to the public under the increasingly intensified ultranationalism right before World War Two. His project at Saihôji (1969) exemplifies the second, postwar, phase of democratic Japan in which he subversively altered the classical appearance of the temple by installing modernistic abstract art in order to exploit the domestic and international cultural symbolism of the old Japanese temple as “tradition” and “Zen.”
Dômoto Inshô (1891-1975) and Buddhist temple art in 20 century Japan
Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://dlibrary.worldbuddhistuniversity.com/handle/6622580369/6782009-01-01T00:00:00ZTsuchikane, Yasuko